The ability to isolate and manage specific radioactive ions is necessary for clean, safe, and secure radioactive waste management, which in turn is essential for the safe and cost-effective use of nuclear power.
The concentration of particular radioactive isotopes in waste materials generally determines the waste classification of the waste material (for example, Class A, Class B, Class C, and Greater than Class C). The waste classification of waste material in turn delineates the storage and disposal requirements for that waste material. As a rule, waste material that receives a higher classification, such as Class B or Class C, faces stricter storage and disposal requirements, is more costly to manage, and can be legally stored in fewer locations. Therefore, it is desirable to limit the volume and amount of waste material that receives a higher classification by separating or removing from that waste material those specific radioactive isotopes that drive waste classification. In this regard, particularly desirable are systems, methods, and processes for the separation of Cs-137, Sr-90, Ni-63, Tc-99, Am-241, Co-58, Co-60, and several isotopes of Uranium. It would also be advantageous for the ion-separation technology to facilitate long-term storage or disposal as, for example, through vitrification.
With a worldwide need for abundant and inexpensive energy production, nuclear generated power is increasing exponentially along with world population growth. The first commercial nuclear power stations started operation in Jun. 1954. Since then, nuclear power generation has increased such that there are over 430 commercial nuclear power reactors operable in 31 countries, with over 370,000 MWe of total capacity. As of 2014, there are 70 more reactors under construction. Increased nuclear power production requires an increase in nuclear waste remediation.
With the present state of the art, nuclear waste typically exists as either in-service contaminated water used in fuel pool storage or loaded onto ion specific media (ISM) contained within a nuclear vessel and then stored within the vessel until further processing or final stabilization is conducted. In preparation for effective loading onto ion specific media, it may be beneficial to preprocess the waste. This preprocessing may include multiple stages of filtering to remove insoluble impurities, decantation to remove oils or greases, flocculants to remove colloids and other suspended particles, precipitants to remove particular undesirable chemical species, reverse osmosis (RO) units to concentrate the radionuclides, and acids or bases for pH control. Preprocessing is especially important when nuclear waste is the result of an accident, any type of spill, or decommissioning operations.
Containerization of nuclear waste has multiple liabilities. First, since nuclear waste can have a large volume and mass relative to its radioactivity, it requires a large space and is therefore expensive to store. Second, since it is usually stored at a site other than where it was produced, there is the danger inherent in transportation accidents. Third, there is the danger of leakage once it is stored. Storage of radioactive liquids is not considered a viable long term solution. The volume reduction offered by ion exchange processes requires pretreatment of the nuclear waste before the radionuclides from the nuclear waste can be loaded onto ion exchange media, then dewatering the media, reducing the volume of the waste resulting in a secondary, more highly radioactive media to process. Because the processing of the radioactive media is typically done at a later date and at another site this radioactive media is stored and then transported before its final processing and eventual disposition. The transportation and storage of radioactive media creates is expensive and creates contamination risks.
So as to reduce the complexity and length of the Detailed Specification, Applicant(s) herein expressly incorporate(s) by reference all of the following materials identified in each numbered paragraph below. The incorporated materials are not necessarily “prior art” and Applicant(s) expressly reserve(s) the right to swear behind any of the incorporated materials.
Advanced Tritium System and Advanced Permeation System for Separation of Tritium from Radioactive Wastes and Reactor Water in Light Water Systems, Ser. No. 62/239,660 filed Oct. 9, 2015, which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.
GeoMelt Electrode Seal, Ser. No. 62/272,604 filed Dec. 29, 2015, which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.
Mobile Processing System for Hazardous and Radioactive Isotope Removal, Ser. No. 14/748,535 filed Jun. 24, 2015, with a priority date of Jun. 24, 2014, which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.
Ion Specific Media Removal from Vessel for Vitrification, Ser. No. 15/012,101 filed Feb. 1, 2016, with a priority date of Feb. 1, 2015, which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.
Balanced Closed Loop Continuous Extraction Process for Hydrogen Isotopes. Ser. No. 14/294,033, filed Jun. 2, 2014, with a priority date of May 31, 2013, which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.
Methods for Melting of Materials to be Treated, U.S. Pat. No. 7,211,038 filed Mar. 25, 2001, with a priority date of Sep. 25, 2001, which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.
Methods for Melting of Materials to be Treated, U.S. Pat. No. 6,429,239 filed Apr. 27, 2007, with a priority date of Sep. 25, 2001, which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.
In-Situ Vitrification of Waste Materials, U.S. Pat. No. 5,678,237 filed Jun. 24, 1996, with a priority date of Jun. 24, 1996, which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.
Vitrification of Waste with Continuous Filling and Sequential Melting, U.S. Pat. No. 6,283,908 filed May 4, 2000, with a priority date of May 4, 2000, which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.
AVS Melting Process, U.S. Pat. No. 6,558,308 filed Apr. 25, 2002, with a priority date of May 7, 2001, which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.
Advanced Vitrification System 2, U.S. Pat. No. 6,941,878 filed Sep. 26, 2003, with a priority date of Sep. 27, 2002, which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.
Applicant(s) believe(s) that the material incorporated above is “non-essential” in accordance with 37 CFR 1.57, because it is referred to for purposes of indicating the background or illustrating the state of the art. However, if the Examiner believes that any of the above-incorporated material constitutes “essential material” within the meaning of 37 CFR 1.57(c)(1)-(3), applicant(s) will amend the specification to expressly recite the essential material that is incorporated by reference as allowed by the applicable rules.
Aspects and applications presented here are described below in the drawings and detailed description. Unless specifically noted, it is intended that the words and phrases in the specification and the claims be given their plain, ordinary, and accustomed meaning to those of ordinary skill in the applicable arts. The inventors are fully aware that they can be their own lexicographers if desired. The inventors expressly elect, as their own lexicographers, to use only the plain and ordinary meaning of terms in the specification and claims unless they clearly state otherwise and then further, expressly set forth the “special” definition of that term and explain how it differs from the plain and ordinary meaning. Absent such clear statements of intent to apply a “special” definition, it is the inventors' intent and desire that the simple, plain and ordinary meaning to the terms be applied to the interpretation of the specification and claims.
The inventors are also aware of the normal precepts of English grammar. Thus, if a noun, term, or phrase is intended to be further characterized, specified, or narrowed in some way, then such noun, term, or phrase will expressly include additional adjectives, descriptive terms, or other modifiers in accordance with the normal precepts of English grammar. Absent the use of such adjectives, descriptive terms, or modifiers, it is the intent that such nouns, terms, or phrases be given their plain, and ordinary English meaning to those skilled in the applicable arts as set forth above.
Further, the inventors are fully informed of the standards and application of the special provisions of 35 U.S.C. § 112, ¶6. Thus, the use of the words “function,” “means” or “step” in the Detailed Description or Description of the Drawings or claims is not intended to somehow indicate a desire to invoke the special provisions of 35 U.S.C. § 112, ¶6, to define the systems, methods, processes, and/or apparatuses disclosed herein. To the contrary, if the provisions of 35 U.S.C. § 112, ¶6 are sought to be invoked to define the embodiments, the claims will specifically and expressly state the exact phrases “means for” or “step for,” and will also recite the word “function” (i.e., will state “means for performing the function of [insert function]”), without also reciting in such phrases any structure, material or act in support of the function. Thus, even when the claims recite a “means for performing the function of . . . ” or “step for performing the function of . . . ”, if the claims also recite any structure, material or acts in support of that means or step, or that perform the recited function, then it is the clear intention of the inventors not to invoke the provisions of 35 U.S.C. § 112, ¶6. Moreover, even if the provisions of 35 U.S.C. § 112, ¶6 are invoked to define the claimed embodiments, it is intended that the embodiments not be limited only to the specific structure, material or acts that are described in the preferred embodiments, but in addition, include any and all structures, materials or acts that perform the claimed function as described in alternative embodiments or forms, or that are well known present or later-developed, equivalent structures, material or acts for performing the claimed function.
Elements and acts in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and have not necessarily been rendered according to any particular sequence or embodiment.